You Belong With Me

55

Vanshika's heart ached as she gazed upon Sourav, his eyes heavy with the weight of his own sorrow. She couldn't fathom the depths of pain he had endured, yet she harbored no resentment toward him. In fact, her compassion swelled within her like a tide, threatening to overwhelm her senses.

The dilemma they faced seemed insurmountable, a labyrinth with no clear exit. Vanshika wrestled with her thoughts, desperately seeking a solution that didn't involve betraying Rahul's trust. But the options were as elusive as smoke, slipping through her fingers with each attempt to grasp them.

She understood Sourav's motives all too well. His desire to shield Rahul from further anguish was noble, albeit fraught with its own complexities. How could one dismantle the walls of love without causing irreparable damage?

"I tried to steel myself against the tide of emotions," Sourav confessed, his voice tinged with a mixture of regret and resignation. "But when I saw the tears welling in Rahul's eyes, I faltered. He was my weakness, my Achilles' heel. To witness his pain, inflicted by my own hand, was a burden too heavy to bear."

His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their shared turmoil. Vanshika listened intently, her heart aching in empathy for Sourav's plight. She could sense the torment that gnawed at Sourav's soul, a relentless beast that refused to be quelled.

"He locked me in that night," Sourav continued, his voice barely a whisper now, as if afraid to give voice to the memory. "And as I lay there, imprisoned by my own choices, I found myself adrift in a sea of uncertainty. Sleep offered no solace, for even in dreams, I was haunted by the specter of what might have been."

Vanshika leaned forward, her eyes alight with curiosity as she absorbed Sourav's words. "So, then the next morning, you two fought?" she prompted, eager to delve deeper into the intricacies of their relationship, as relayed by Rahul.

Sourav shook his head. "Not fought exactly," he clarified, his expression thoughtful. "Rahul just... unleashed his anger on me. And to be fair, I deserved it. But I needed him to be angry enough to stop talking to me. Otherwise, he would've asked a thousand questions, and I... I couldn't lie to him anymore."

He paused, his mind drifting back to that moment. "So, I replied rudely. I even called him an emotional fool. I remember every word with precision," Sourav admitted, a hint of remorse in his voice.

Vanshika nodded understandingly. "And he remembers too," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Flashback

As Rahul shouted at Sourav to get out of his house, the words echoed through the room like a clap of thunder. Sourav stood there, feeling as if the ground had been ripped from under his feet. His shoulders slumped, and with a heart heavy with regret, he walked out the door. The sound of it locking behind him was final, a barrier that felt more like a prison wall.

The night was cold, but Sourav barely noticed. He stumbled towards his car in the parking lot, each step feeling like it took a century. His vision blurred with unshed tears, and when he finally reached his car, he fumbled with the keys, hands shaking. He managed to open the door and collapsed into the driver's seat, the leather cool against his skin.

As the car door shut, the silence enveloped him, a stark contrast to the chaos inside his heart. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably now, hot and relentless. Sourav's mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts, each one a dagger of guilt and sorrow. He couldn't believe what had just happened, what he had done to Rahul-his Rahul.

He reached up with trembling fingers to touch his cheek, the spot where Rahul had slapped him still stinging. It wasn't just a physical pain but a wound that cut deep into his soul. He could still feel the force of it, the anger and betrayal in Rahul's eyes. Sourav had seen that look before but never directed at him. The memory of Rahul's eyes, usually so warm and full of affection, now blazing with hurt and fury, was unbearable.

Sourav knew why he had done it, why he had provoked Rahul to such an extent. It was necessary, a twisted part of a plan that required Rahul to hate him. But knowing that didn't make it any easier to bear. Each tear that fell was a testament to the agony inside him, the knowledge that he had hurt the person he loved most in the world. It was like tearing out his own heart and stomping on it.

He leaned back in the seat, eyes closed, tears still streaming. He remembered the good times, the laughter they had shared, the secrets, the dreams. How could things have gone so wrong? The thought of Rahul's smile, now replaced by a mask of pain, was too much to handle.

Sourav clenched his fists, knuckles white, as the sobs wracked his body. He wanted to scream, to turn back time, to fix the mess that had created. But he was trapped in this nightmare of his own making. He had to believe that this was for the best, that it was all part of a greater plan. But in this moment, all he could feel was the overwhelming grief of having pushed away the one person who meant everything to him.

The night grew darker around him, the cold seeping into his bones. He knew he had to move, had to do something, but he felt paralyzed by his emotions. Sourav took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped his tears away, though the sadness in his heart remained. He gripped the steering wheel, trying to summon the strength to drive away, to leave behind the shattered pieces of his and Rahul's love. But deep down, he knew that no matter how far he drove, he could never truly escape the pain.

Flashback Ends

"We didn't talk for a week," Sourav confessed, his tone laced with a hint of regret. "My plan worked."

Vanshika's brow furrowed in concern. "But how did you spend that week without him? And with the guilt of knowing you hurt him?" she asked, her voice filled with empathy. "I could never do that. You're very strong, Sourav."

"Every single night, like clockwork, Sachin would ring me up just to make sure I hadn't slipped into that dark abyss. It's almost funny now," Sourav chuckled, but there was a bitter edge to his laughter. "I was neck-deep in depression, drowning really. Sachin practically dragged me to a shrink. I was in such a bad place, Vanshika. I mean, I was at a point where I could've done something... something irreversible."

Sourav's voice was heavy with the weight of the memories as he recounted the darkest chapter of his life to Vanshika. He paused for a moment, as if trying to gather his thoughts.

"It's like I was a passenger in my own body, and the only thing keeping me from completely losing it was Sachin's constant check-ins. He was relentless. But I guess I needed it." Sourav's gaze fell to the ground, his expression a mix of gratitude and pain. "I owe him everything for pulling me back from the edge."